#and she starts being like: THIS is called a TEASPOON ... & u know all this stuff but you also know to just be very quiet

[inkskinned]

this is sort of pathetic, but when you were younger, you were sort of puzzled by the cartoon representations of fathers: how a kid would be outside with a mitt, waiting to play catch.

it's not that your father never played catch with you, but you also didn't like when he did. something about a hard ball coming quickly towards your face doesn't seem exciting. not that you'd ever say you don't trust him. you trust him, right?

it's not like he never tried to teach you anything. or never tried to parent. on rare days, a strange person would walk in your father's skin. bright, happy, magnificent. this version of your father was so cheerful and charismatic that you would do anything to keep him. and this is the version of your father that would laugh and gently coax you try again. this is the version of your father that would break down the small elements of a problem and point them out so you have an easier time with them.

as a kid, those days happened more often. but somewhere around 11, you started being too much of a person, and he was often cross about it. when he'd try to sit you down to learn something, you spent the whole time with your shoulders around your ears, nervous, uncertain. terrified because you didn't immediately understand how to navigate something. worried you will run out of his goodwill and then you will have the Other Father back, and you will have ruined a good day for your entire family. something about you being visibly afraid - it just made him angry. he would accuse you of not wanting to learn and storm away.

on tv, it's not like there's a lot of versions of men-who-are-mostly-fathers. they can be good dads, but usually their stories are not told in the household. so it's normal that your father is there, but he's never around. you know he was in the house, somewhere, it's just not that you guys ever... "hung out". he just seemed to get kind of bored of you, annoyed you weren't made in his perfect image. frustrated with how much energy it took to raise a kid. over time, you kind of adopt a bittersweet band around your throat - he knows nothing about me. he says at least i never abandoned my family.

and it's technically - technically - true. he was there for you. sometimes he even made an effort and made it to the big moments; the graduations and the dance recitals. he grins and tells everyone that he taught you. it almost erases the days in between, where he complains because you need a ride to school. the weeks that go by where he doesn't actually ever speak to you. the times you say i am struggling and he says figure it out on your own. i can't help you.

and that's fine! that's all fine. you can call him if you are having a problem with your car. or if you need a ride to the hospital. he loves playing hero, he just doesn't like the actual work that comes with being a father. and you've kind of made your peace with that; because you had to, because you don't want to live your life like he does; the whole world at a managed distance, a little rotating and controlled orb he can witness and take credit for but never truly love.

as an adult, you are rewatching some dumb cartoon - and again, the child standing in the rain, with a mitt, waiting for their father to come play catch. as an adult, there's this strange creeping dread - this little thing? this little thing, and their dad can't even show up for that? oh god, holyshit, it's not about the mitt, is it. oh god, holyshit, your father spent most of your life leaving you hanging.

[sscoutregimentss]

L, D, F, U and Y w eren pwease🥺

modern au, again. also, i realize these arent very romantic lololol ohhhh well.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Helping out with Historia's volunteer club has gotten him pretty used to kids, but honestly half the time he floats off to the corner and doesn't really interact with them because they're so preoccupied with Connie and Sasha being... Connie and Sasha.

He actually does pretty well with older kids like 9-13 year olds, mainly his dad's friend's nephew Falco. He thinks Eren is like the coolest guy ever (next to Reiner. Sorry Eren you're not taking his spot any time soon lol) and Eren thinks Falco is really sweet.

I like to think that toddlers like Eren too, especially when he gives them those pretty smiles that light up his entire face. But he prefers to be with older kids if he can. Mainly because he's a little shit and can get them to do stuff for him.

The amount of times he has gotten Falco to run errands or do chores for him in exchange for ice cream (or like... Vbucks... do 13 year olds still play fortnite? I'm lost) only for the poor kid to never see said ice cream... uncountable. If he paid it all at once he'd be dead broke.

And despite Gabi fronting about hating him because him and Reiner aren't friends anymore, she enjoys hanging out with him and Falco because Eren doesn't really baby them as much as her cousin and his friends do. Those two butt heads like crazy, though. He literally doesn't call her by her name, he just calls her "Brat" or other variations.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

I'll talk about settling down more in the next letter, but Eren is like both the most messy and most clean person ever.

He's the type of person to let his environment reflect himself. If he's stressed, his room looks like a pigsty. When he gets angry, he purposefully makes messes, because punching a hole in the wall means he doesn't get his security deposit back. But when he settles down, he uses his skills picked up from cleaning the locker rooms and club rooms with Captain Levi for hours on end and makes his room spotless in record time. It's a talent.

Good at chores because he has flashbacks of Levi going "Oi, Jaeger brat... you think this is clean?" every time he's doing something. He procrastinates a lot though.

You know I came on here wanting to say he is a god awful, terrible cook, but I don't think so. I mean, it's just a practical life skill he has from not having parents for most of his life.

The problem with Eren's cooking is that he over seasons everything. He hates bland food so he can't tell when to stop. Like if a recipe calls for a teaspoon of chili flakes he's adding 3 tablespoons just for good measure. He will watch Jean put a whole head of garlic in something and chop up a small garden worth of herbs and still goes "that looks bland."

Really likes spicy food. If you have a low spice tolerance, don't count on him cooking. Poor Armin is already half dead.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

I don't think he'd want to get married. You guys could be together for 20 years and he still wouldn't propose.

He thinks it's dumb to define your relationship with a flimsy piece of paper, and that your value becomes too stringent on your partner when you're married. Plus, all the legal stuff, ugh such a bore. Literally the only thing motivating him to get married is being able to call himself your husband because he thinks its cute.

If you guys have a really long term relationship (like living together, kids, everything) he eventually just starts calling himself your husband even though you aren't technically married. No one is going to correct him anyways.

He would like a wedding though. Just because he thinks it'd be fun. Maybe like a commitment ceremony? His love for you is very personal, so he'll do whatever he wants. If he wants to literally throw a party and call it a "We Love Each Other, Kiss Our Ass!" celebration, he will.

Your children would have hyphenated last names. If the world's end is dependent on you marrying Eren Jaeger, he refuses to change his last name, and urges you not to either.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Short. Freaking. Temper. It's the easiest one to point out. And it's always been a prominent trait, only made worse by his rough childhood.

Eren's inner child is deeply hurt, and he thinks the best way to heal him is to just get pissed off. This, combined with his fiery and passionate personality, plus general recklessness just makes for a 6 foot tall, muscled, handsome ball of rage.

The best way to prevent Eren anger? Just nip it in the bud. You notice he side eyes you after you say something? Ask what you did. He's happy to tell you if you ask, but otherwise he just let's it build up and blows up on you.

He's a good apologizer though. Good balance of kind words and actions = happy relationship. It's just him having a hard time communicating with you, and he's eternally grateful for you helping him get better.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

He cannot stand people with no conviction. If you're saying one thing to some people and other things to others just to fit in, he probably won't like you. Like, if you're a "popular kid" who likes nerdy shit, just fucking own it, stop being two faced. He doesn't like people who feel the need to hide who they are.

That doesn't mean he doesn't like shy people though. If you have trouble standing up for yourself, he's prone to step in and help you out. He just really doesn't like fake people.

[athys-obelia]

summary: no one's evil au lmfaooo but make it pt. 2

character/s: anastacius de alger obelia, claude de alger obelia, athanasia de alger obelia, jennette de alger obelia

and here's part 1 <3

oh my god okay. okay. so.

ana, claude, athy and jennette - they go on a LOT of vacations

claude complains every single time but anastacius pulls his trump card and sends athy and jettie BOTH after him

u think he's strong enough to say no after that? lmao jokes

and their vacations always go this way:

jennette: isn't this scenery just gorgeous, uncle

claude: indeed it is. and...quiet

jennette: ...too quiet

[cut to anastacius in the distance, fighting a bear as athy cheers him on]

athy + anastacius, hands down the most chaotic pairing yes i will not be taking criticism

they have tea in ana's palace everyday, just the two of them, they're so poised and picture perfect through the entire thing everyone thinks it's just the emperor giving profound advice to his heir

it's actually them deadass scheming,,, ana has no qualms discussing everything from court gossip to military tactics, both of which she's so on top of all the time

if anyone shit talks jennette or claude, this tea party is where their slow and agonizing demise is planned out to the dot

[true story - count sivan once made the fatal mistake of expressing his favour for athy as the next empress, dissing jennette by comparing her to athy sm which inevitably sparked a debate that ranked the princesses. a week after athy's sources informed her of the kindling behind this new debate, the count's sudden divorce became the talk of the town, and the man's business faced bankruptcy all of a sudden. the sivans still haven't recovered.)

athy n jennette were actually allowed to visit kiel in arlanta a few times, except it was too dark at their first arrival, postponing the meeting to the next morning

buttt then jettie can't sleep and she decides on a midnight snack run (their hotel doesn't really have the maids the palace does, but oh well. she's left the palace w lucas n athy plenty of times)

felix tags along btw, he knows this trip is important to the girls since they're leaving the palace without their Overprotective Papas™ for the first time and want some sense of independence, but... she's just so smol n he couldn't bear it if anything happens so he just shadows her

she totally knows he's there

n e ways so there's a juice place right beside their hotel which she aims for, but when jennette reaches it, it's closed

and out of nowhere, a voice addresses her - "hey you, do you come here a lot?" she nearly jumps out of her skin at the brunette, relaxing when she sees he's literally a kid around her age and not a murderer lmfaoo "me neither," he continues without waiting for her, pouting at the closed sign, before he asks for her name and whether she's new in arlanta

she confirms that yes, she's only visiting, and refuses to tell the stranger her name, still feeling strange at being addressed as 'you' for the first time (well, minus lucas, but he was like her brother and had the emotional capacity of a teaspoon, so)

he eyes her. "you're so weird. i've never seen a girl out so late before, and alone too. are you stupid?"

(felix has his sword out at this point)

she's flushing now and has no idea why she's still out here, but then this stranger kid apparently senses her mood and tells her the best ice cream store in arlanta is not too far away

(he also explains he knows someone who's starts doing weird things when she's hungry as well, and tries to defend that ice cream is actually a healthy midnight snack, "you can just take a healthy flavour like strawberry or mango, mangos are healthy,,right"💀️💀)

so jettie has travelled all the way from obelia, she loves her papa but he would have a heart attack if he found out she was ever awake this late?? yeah bc she's never getting this chance again, jennette accepts the offer

the stranger boy seems to be taking the whole "i'm not telling you my name," thing like a joke, and asks what he should call her since 'you' was getting boring

she goes with "lady j" and like a knight, the boy becomes "sir c"

(felix is on the verge of committing a crime - the princesses can only have one knight, after all)

they walk as the the boy navigates the streets in the dark, and she asks whether he's from the academy, seeing his uniform

"of course i am! you could probably tell bc i look so smart, right?"

she snorts. "yeah, that."

she also comes to know that this guy,,,well he might as well be a tourist? she's out here asking stuff like "oh where's the statue of lady alphia?" or "aren't we really close to the museum where they keep the first emperor's sword?" and he goes "lady do i look like your brochure?? but if you turn right from here there's a cool arcade and across the street from there is the best street food vendor you'll ever eat from."

well at least mans had his priorities straight 😌

"so can you take this off?" he asks, pointing towards her dress once they've neared the store

um???????? sir tf????????????

anyways jettie has been living with lucas n her dad farr too long to not take this the wrong way?? "...no?"

the boy raises an eyebrow "look, it looks like an expensive cloak but i promise i'll return it, alright? i gotta hide my uniform."

ohhhhhhh. 😳.

so she unfastens the cloak and because he's kinda just staring at it cluelessly (he can't even tie his shoelaces fight me), jennette sighs and moves the clothing over his shoulder, fastening it in place at his neck

he's literally a tomato when she looks back up and realises that yes, we are way too close rn

bc she's ana's daughter, jennette by default cannot function when she's flustered. so she kinda stumbles backwards like a fish out of water (years of princess training n etiquette? where art thou??) and 'sir c' has to grab her forearm so she doesn't bump into the pillar behind her smfh

the shopkeep is definitely suspicious of this pair that's definitely too young to be out so late, but chalks it down to his sleeplessness

they escape the store with the ice cream before the shopkeep can ask any questions, and 'sir c' escorts jennette back to her hotel. he climbs onto the roof of the building, helping her up as well

(felix wishes he had a magic stone to capture this moment, this is the first time he's seen jennette become such fast friends with someone)

she stands on the roof (it hurts her butt so she doesn't wanna sit)

"my sister would be so jealous right now," jennette murmurs, "she told me her ideal first date would be either a picnic or something like a moonlit walk. we're having like a moonlit picnic."

it's silent for a few seconds the boy speaks up, "is this a date?"

oh-

oh.

"i mean- i didn't- i don't- uh."

give her some time lmfao she's loading

"i don't really mind that," he tells her, and she thinks she might just walk off the roof in her embarrassment - who just says something like that?? "you're probably feeling really lucky right now, right?"

jennette: ✊😔

he does look pretty in the moonlight, she admits to herself, listening as he excitedly tells her about his siblings at home and how she should send an offering to the gods since they gave her the good fortune to be on a date with the most good looking one of all four of them

in turn, she tells him about how she spent her childhood away from her amazing dad and had gotten closer to him recently, about her sharp-witted uncle, her sister and friends

(the 'friends' section includes felix and he's melting)

she smiles - it's almost as if, at finding out he treasures his family just as much as she does, they've gotten a bit closer

and he tries to listen. jennette had guessed that his temperament was somewhat like her dad's - her dad didn't know how to listen, always making his opinion known before anything else, though she supposes as emperor he could do that

'sir c', on the other hand, tried his best, his blue eyes focused on her as he almost burst from the unsaid words he was holding back, trying to let her finish. the sight was an odd mix of sad and insanely adorable that she couldn't help but let him tell her about everything he couldn't hold in

sensing she could pass out from her exhaustion nearly half an hour later, and 'sir c' escorts her to her window and helps her sneak in bc "what sort of knight would i be otherwise?!"

(felix can't stop shaking the entire night)

the next morning, jennette's heart is pounding as kiel shows her, athy and felix across campus - the chance is low, but still...

"ezekiel!" comes a voice, and the four watch as a turquoise haired boy waves down the alpheus heir "are these the guests you mentioned?"

kiel introduces the trio to johannes vastia before asking, "where's cabel?"

"at the training grounds, he asked if you could bring everyone there so he could show them around there."

"... they're my guests though?"

athy is quick to befriend johannes (i mean she and his sister are practically the same person, so) and at the grounds, jennette's blood runs cold

(so does felix's)

the brunette doesn't notice her at first, arguing with johannes about something as kiel introduces him as cabel ernst

jennette is hyperventilating?? actually back up is this girl even breathing??

cabel ernst from kiel's letters? the 'loud and obnoxious cabel ernst', who gradually turned into 'my acquaintance cabel ernst', then 'hardworking, passionate cabel ernst', and finally 'my friend cabel'?

she'd actually rather admired this slow build of respect between her friend and the ernst boy, and had even expressed her interest to meet him

"this is the first daughter of his highness prince claude de alger obelia, princess athanasia-" cabel mock salutes the princess before his mouth forms an 'o' and he remembers to bow, "-and here's the emperor's only daughter, her highness princess je-"

andddd his eyes widen comically "-hey, lady, it's you?"

yeah jettie is on the brink of literal death - her entire face reddens as this...cabel, grins at her

she watches as he glances behind her, "and you're the guy who was following us - sup?"

felix flinches "...you knew...?"

cabel shrugs. "i mean you do kinda suck ass at the whole subtle thing."

"don't say it like that," jennette retorts, "felix was trying his best."

"princess 😭😭 you knew as well?"

"uhhhh no?"

athy + kiel in a corner: 👁️👄👁️

they watch as cabel's eyes widen all of a sudden and he just,,,runs away

...🐦...🐦...🐦...

yeah well anyway he comes rushing back a few minutes later, a piece of cloth in his hand "...*huff* here *huff*...you go."

athy totally flips out "jennette is that your CLOAK???!??"

"uhhhhh no?"

"um do you realise uncle would literally wage war at this."

and as if it would make everything better,

"i washed it," cabel offers with a grin

"you didn't," the vastia heir deadpans

"i mean, johan helped a little bit."

kiel smiles murderously at the pair. "johan, did you know cabel took the princess out?"

"wait, you're a PRINCESS??"

your honour they aren't very smart

so the group orders some coffee (milk for cabel smfh) to find out what happened, cabel mentions "date" and everything goes to shit again lmfao

kiel and felix scheme against poor cabel while athy n johan get over that stage pretty quick ("listen. MY sister will be living with ME after the marriage and if your friend wants to be with her he'll have to come with us to obelia." and johan's just like "fine by me ✌️😊") and start planning the wedding

cabel + jennette dip n sneak out of the academy again to get the juice they couldn't the night before bc shit is getting awkward here

on another note, our uncle cius' musical intelligence is actually very high - he can probably play more instruments than i can name tbh, but he feels most comfortable singing and i shit you not, this man has straight up an angel's voice

(didn't like singing in front of others coz he was secretly a nerd and only knew old love songs with deep lyrics, athy found out and educated him)

jennette tends to have nightmares often, most often regarding their family - she's seen her father murder her uncle for the throne, and vice versa, athy admitting her affections towards jennette were a front to get the position of crown princess, her uncle killing her to solidify athy's claim, etc - her family is her everything, so despite however many times these horrible scenes play before her, she's left sobbing uncontrollably

and on these nights, she leaves for her father's room, who holds her close and sings her to sleep

also lucas n jennette are like sibling duo# 1,,, jettie is an active lucathy shipper even though he denies it sm - like their dynamic is just peaceful walks in the gardens as she watches the plants n lucas shi talks the nobility and kiel

claude and athy have a thing for each other's sleeping on each other? idk it's weird

athy once fell asleep on the couch while reading with him, and claude moved her head onto his lap so she wouldn't be uncomfy sitting - well, she woke up to his hand absentmindedly raking through her hair and it was just so soothing that whenever she's tired and he's working or reading, she just plops her head on his lap and zzzz

and claude wondered what was up with that, so she proposed they switch roles and he felt so awkward trying to lay down in front of her lmao

obviously athy noticed and she just started reading, thinking he might be more comfortable if her attention isn't on him completely - she ended up reading out loud while playing with his collar and he just,,,passed out

also anastacius has definitely pulled jennette aside regarding the issue of his heir at some point - she had been hesitant at first before admitting she wouldn't like to be the empress at all

i know we'd all love to see empress!jettie and her sister duchess!athy ruling the court, but i really really really can't see her wanting the title?

so thus start athy's empress lessons, but holy shit her teacher is mean

like this man makes me want to bash his face in?? so he doesn't like the idea of athy becoming empress over jennette at all, all bc of both hers and claude's mothers being commoners

he has one of those long ass sticks that you use in presentation to point at stuff?? idk but basically mans has athy name every region, its lords and their vassals during their first lesson

the first time she gets one wrong, she's too shocked as the stick meets the delicate skin of her forearm to react

now the thing is, wmmap!athy would probably stand up against this bc her dad is the emperor and she's his only heir, but i imagine with anastacius' social nature he holds many parties / balls where she's probably heard claude's mom + diana slander and it wouldn't be unreasonable for her to be self conscious abt it (now she's the emperor's heir while jennette, 100% royal + noble blood, is right there which probably makes her feel even less legitimate)

so she endures it, the light marks on her arms as well as the taunts of his she's too smart to not understand - perhaps this is the price to be accepted in jennette's place?

and honestly, no one really notices until at breakfast a few weeks in, where jennette mentions how her dresses are still so modest when sleeveless dresses were more in fashion - ana is suspicious because athy is always on top of these things, societal trends and such, and claude is sus from the way she hesitates slightly in her answer, "i haven't had the time lately, i suppose"

the lesson after focuses on ettiquete since everyone knows she's good at politics and such already, but now tears of frustration are pooling in her eyes because what the hell?? this guy had made an opinion of her long before he even met her, so anything she did would be wrong in his eyes

he gives her a sinister smile, "tired, princess?"

"no," she insists, keeping her voice level. he's about to spout some other nonsense, when anastacius enters the room, taking a seat across from her

anastacius watches quietly as athy answers the teacher's questions in her "public" voice. he watches as her usually cheery disposition is replaced by something far more...dead, despite the front she puts on for him. he's soundless as she hesitates in her answers where she normally would've been louder, more confident. he stops watching in silence when his niece flinches at the sight of the stick

oh.

he interrupts her lesson, not missing the way she winces almost imperceptibly when he grabs ahold of her arm, announcing, "we're going."

he just- it's just that that was the moment he knew for sure - the sight of his niece emotionally disheveled for the first time reminds him too much of how his own brother had once been, and he'd... he'd promised he wouldn't let anyone hurt his family anymore

he ends up taking her to the port with some of his advisors to welcome some royal guests, insisting that she would learn better from experience rather than books - but the guest delegation gets so boring that he sneaks her out of the meeting n they end up in the streets

now athy has no idea where they are, but apparently her uncle does?? ana has his hand on her head as he navigates the streets of the capitol as if he comes here everyday, using magic to casually disguise the two of them

in the meantime?

felix is at the port trying to cover for them smfh, he makes up this huge story about how the great wise emperor wanted to familiarize his heir with the locals, understand her subjects, yada yada

back at the palace prince claude is currently dragging a man by his collar and only upon jennette's insistence does he throw him in prison rather than literally kill him

(jettie visits him later in prison to give the guy a piece of her mind, after felix's visit he's sporting a few noticable bruises and the prisoner is practically unrecognizable once lucas visits)

back to athy + ana, they end up stuffing themselves with some super good street food as anastacius confesses that yes, he has definitely been sneaking out of the palace ever since he was a lil kid

athy almost mentions that she, lucas n jettie sneak out too but that might give him a heart attack, so

"it's so pretty, uncle cius," she says, gesturing towards the necklace he holds up. once he's paid for it, anastacius fists the necklace, opening it to reveal the jewel pendant - now imbued with his magic and replaced with gold lettering of the word athanasia

and she realises that yes, that's what both him and her dad have called her all her life, haven't they?

"you're my heir, athanasia," he uncle tells her with a small smile, "i am proud of that."

getting teary, she tells him, "i'm really proud of you too, uncle cius," triggering a very flustered + blushy anastacius

this mans craves validation - not from the sycophantic nobility, or the obsequious concubines he'd dismissed all those years ago, but from the family he thought he'd neither have nor deserve

and just the acknowledgement is so large for athy - he wants her as his heir, not because she's his niece, but bc he trusts her to look after his hard work after him??? - yeah she's totally bawling her eyes out

anastacius magics her a handkerchief but my mans magic isn't that strong?? lmao he's used up so much by now that the 'handkerchief' turns out to be some scratchy tissues

awkward amirite

nope! athy laughs at that, offering him a sip of her drink as she magics another straw and a proper handkerchief lmfaoo

n e ways so when they return, everyone's shocked to learn that the crown heir, princess athanasia will actually be joining the official circles as anastacius' temporary aid - he doesn't wanna entrust her to anyone but family, and decides that the best way to learn is by his side

(she's so confused bc lucas doesn't normally bat an eyelash when she wears the prettiest gowns, but he deadass can't look her in the eyes when she's in her aid uniform - it's more like a suit than it is a dress)

yes lucas women in suits >>>>>

everyone is STUNNED when at dinner, claude proposes they leave on vacation??

anastacius is just not having it?? like no, this is not my brother, and he throws a grape at claude to check if it's a clone or sum (¿¿how does that work??)

anyays so he ain't no felix, ana's aim is ass and it hits jettie instead

mans nearly gets on his knees to apologise

long story short everyone preps for vacation, but by some aCCiDeNt claude n athy end up at a different destination than jettie n ana, when she suggests returning to the palace to regroup, mans deadass sulks

"so you wouldn't like to spend this time with your father, despite barely visiting my office for weeks?"

o-oh

so at their return, the nobility starts pestering everyone that the princesses aren't independent enough, yada yada idc so to quell this annoyance, to the girls' joy, they get to move into emerald palace together, while claude and ana stay in the ruby and main palaces respectively

literally emerald palace becomes such a cool place to be in since it's the residence of the only decent people in this family, the brothers spend hours going through the requests of maids who want to be transferred

it's such a busy time because of athy joining the court and jettie starting her studies as well - naturally, since she isn't becoming empress, she'll be getting the duchy claude + athy were to be given in the beginning

speaking of futures, jettie's interest in plants and cooking has definitely branched out into herbs

claude notices her tending to a small garden during his visit to athy and even gives her a few tips (he had been studying medical since he was a kid, and picked it up again when athy was born and the empire stablised somewhat)

this soon becomes a routinely thing, and he actually starts reading up on some herbs and even orders a few for her prospering garden

after a month of her learning from books, claude proposes adding a medic as one of her teachers, and turns out his hunch was right?? she's excelling at medicine and they keep it between themselves for the time being

it doesn't last long though, bc they're on a hunting trip when ana injures his leg

and !! this girl istg, she gets to cleaning and wrapping the wound without blinking an eye, as if it's the most natural thing ever, and claude is just smirking while athy and anastacius and literally everyone else: 🌟💞✨jettie✨💞🌟

literal tears coming out of anastacius' eyes "how come my daughter is smarter than me😭💅"

claude: that's not a very high standard, brother

anastacius: ✨suddenly i'm an only child✨

behold, the people in charge of running an empire everyone 👏👏👏

even though jennette is claude's (unofficial) student and athy is her uncle's heir, they both ask their dads to the debutante

yes athy does dance with lucas, anastacius sent him an invitation even though he wasn't a noble (he's an active match maker 😌) and nobody dared question the emperor's special guest

at the end of the night, kiel gives jettie a letter from arlanta - it's an invitation to the academy during holidays, from a certain brunette

when she brings up the subject, felix lets out a squeak and literally everyone goes silent 😭😭

athy n kiel are just out here DARING him to spill them beans

but anastacius takes on look at his excited lil kid and decides that yups, she's going to get everything she wants

a/n: i literally don't know how many parts this should have lmaoo but y'all made it this far!! thanks for reading i hope you liked it<3

[lurafita]

Obsession - Chapter 3

Read the prologue here: https://lurafita.tumblr.com/post/184483191964/obsession-prologe

Chapter 1: https://lurafita.tumblr.com/post/184510347369/obsession-chapter-1

Chapter 2: https://lurafita.tumblr.com/post/184622702054/obsession-chapter-2

Obsession – Chapter 3

 “Okay Parker, try to top this. My first couple today: the guy orders a plain hamburger and the woman with him a hamburger ketchup only, right? So, I serve them and am about to go to my next table, when they call me back. The man says he ordered it plain but got ketchup and the girl says she wanted ketchup but got a hamburger plain. Apparently I mixed up the plates when I set them down. Big deal, right? So they look up at me like I had ruined their whole meal. I bent down again and picked up the plates, walked around to the other side of their table, and then set the plates down again, this time in the right order. The guy goes 'That's better. You be more careful in the future, young man. Not everyone is as understanding as us.' I have no idea if they were trolling me, or if it really didn't occur to them to just switch the plates themselves.”

His fellow waiter said, as he struggled out of his work uniform and into his usual street clothes. Peter laughed as he did the same.

“Sorry Brian, but prize for 'worst customers of the shift' is definitely mine tonight. I had just asked this sweet looking elderly lady if there was anything else I could do for her, she says no, so I continue on my way through my section. I haven't even taken five steps away from her table, when she throws her teaspoon at my head. Turns out she wanted to see the dessert card again, and couldn't be bothered to think of this two seconds before, when I specifically asked her, or just call out to me to come back. She did this two more times. I was this close to replacing her cutlery with a plastic spork, though she would have probably thrown her glass at me then. When she finally demanded the check, via spoon to my head, of course, she gave me a tip of exactly ten cents, and wrote on the receipt that I needed to be more attentive to my guests.”

Brian laughed as well (because in this business, you either learned to take people's atrocious behavior with humor, or you developed an ulcer from all the repressed anger)

“Fine, you win on account of flying silverware. You gonna be in tomorrow?”

Peter shook his head as he finished putting his work clothes into his locker and grabbed up his backpack. He noticed that one of the straps needed to be taped together again, the old duct tape beginning to peel off.

“Nah, man. I need to finish an assignment for my main, so I traded shifts with Becky. I'll be here for the late shift on Friday.”

Brian grimaced in sympathy. “Damn, my condolences, man. All those nine to five, Monday to Friday people ready to cut loose.”

Peter let out a forlorn sigh. “Tell me about it. Friday's are the worst.”

The two left the restaurant through the back door, thankfully being able to navigate the narrow alley easily by now, as it was already dark outside and the lamp that was supposed to light up the backstreet, had been shattered a long time ago. The two walked together, bantering friendly with each other, until they reached an intersection.

“Well, see you later, Pete. Good luck on Friday, try not to let yourself get groped too much!”

“Like anyone has ever been able to work a Friday night without a bruised butt to show for it. Later!”

They bumped their fists together in farewell, before Brian went right and Peter turned left down the street.

He was exhausted. While it hadn't been a particularly busy shift at the restaurant, Peter had had a very early class this day, as well as two tutoring sessions in between his afternoon lectures. Thank god their manager had taken pity on them and closed the restaurant thirty minutes earlier than usual. Now Peter might just make it home before midnight. It was a bit of a walk to his and his aunts apartment, but the restaurant paid it's workers above minimum wage and the tips were usually pretty decent as well. So the almost fifty minute travel on foot was well worth it. Also, the lengthy walk presented a chance for him to go through his mental check list and think through the assignments he still needed to hand in, as well as his schedule for the next few days.

So deeply in thought was he, that he didn't notice the group of six men that followed him into the alley he used as a shortcut.

Until he was suddenly grabbed by his shoulder and spun around and against the dirty wall to his right. His eyes widened in fear when he looked at the group of rough looking men in front of him.

“Now what do we have here? Out for a late night stroll, little lamb?”

The brunette resented that remark. He was not a 'little lamb', okay? Just because he had a bit of a baby face and wasn't as brawny and muscly and tall and intimidating and rough looking and... on second though, he got it. He pressed himself further into the brick wall at his back, when the man in front of him, (the apparent leader of the group) slowly pulled a jackknife out of his pocket. He held his hands up defensively.

“U-uhm,... hey,... uh.. look, I don't want any trouble, okay? If, if it's money you want, I d-don't have much, but you can have it! Okay? There is totally n-no need for any violence.”

The man in front of him and his compatriots grinned widely and dangerously at that.

“Oh really? Well then, why don't we-”

“Hey! I called the police! Drop the knife and get away from him!” Was suddenly shouted from the entrance to the alley. The group of thugs looked at each other, at Peter, and then at the figure that was speedily making their way towards them.

“This isn't worth the trouble, let's scram!”

And just like that, the six would-be robbers ran the other way, out of sight.

Peter's knees nearly buckled with relief, and he hastily bent over and breathed deeply.

“Oh thank god...”

“Hey, you okay there?”

He almost flinched at the words, before realizing that his timely rescuer must have reached him while he was fighting off his shock.

“Yeah,.. yeah, I'm... I'm okay. I'm... thank you. Thank you so much! I-”

“Hey, hey, breathe. It's alright. All safe now, okay?”

The male voice was deep and calming, and as a strong hand started stroking his back in comforting circles, Peter slowly managed to relax. He took a long breath, and then straightened back up.

“Thank you, again. I... I don't even know why this stuff still gets to me like this. This is hardly the first time I have been mugged.”

It was hard to make out detailed features in the dim light of the alley (all Peter knew regarding his rescuers appearance so far, was that he was a bit taller than himself, a lot broader than himself, and had a beard), but he noticed how the man in front of him stiffened at his words.

“You have been assaulted before?”

Peter shook his arms out, feeling like he needed to move a little, to get rid of what was left of his shock.

“Well, I wouldn't call it assault. I mean, if you just give them your money, they leave you alone. Sometimes they don't even get their weapons out.”  He almost didn't notice when the man wrapped a supportive arm around his waist and steered him out of the dark alley and to the main road. He let himself follow the others lead easily, thankful for the strong arm around him, as his knees were still a little shaky. He just kept rambling. “So, nobody gets really hurt. But, yeah, muggings are pretty common here, especially when it's this late at night. I know this sounds bad, and it kinda is. But I'm really, really glad that you were there, because I really need the money I made tonight to buy some parts to repair that stupid heater in the apartment, since the landlord refuses to acknowledge that there is a problem with it. And the forecast said to expect a cold wave for next week, and my aunt just got over her bout with the flu.” They had at this point made it to the well lit street, and Peter was finally able to get a real look at the man who saved him, while the slowly decreasing adrenaline continued to make him spit out a horrendously embarrassing amount of word vomit. “So, really, I'm so very, very grateful to y-”

The following words got stuck in his throat.

That was Tony Stark.

He had been saved from being mugged by Tony Stark, and then made an absolute fool of himself by babbling like the complete idiot he truly was. Oh god. That thug should have just stabbed him, at least he wouldn't have embarrassed himself by bleeding out on the ground. Then again, if anyone could make a fool of himself while dying, it would be Peter Parker.

And now Tony Stark was looking at him weirdly. Oh god, he hadn't said any of that out loud, had he?!

“Are you okay, Peter?”

As soon as the name slipped out, Tony wanted to kick himself. He wasn't supposed to know Peter's name yet!

“I-I,... yeah, I,... you are Tony Stark... you are one of the brightest minds of this century and I just... I uhm. I uh, hi. … Hi, I'm Peter Embarrassed. PARKER! Oh, my, god. I'm Peter Parker. And really embarrassed. Hi.”

Tony almost sighed in relief. It seemed Peter hadn't noticed his little slip. He smiled.

“Hello Peter Embarrassed Parker. I'm Tony Stark, but you already know this.” He couldn't help but tease a little, and he relished in the deeply red blush that overtook the brunettes face.

The younger man then buried his head in his hands.

“You know, I should just legally change my name to this? It would be accurate, at least.”

Tony snickered, and then gently pried Peter's hands away.

“Don't worry about it. I would pick the embarrassed, tousle haired, cute guy, over the usual reaction my name inspires, every day. It's very charming.”  Which wasn't an exaggeration at all. The last rabid Tony Stark fan he had encountered during the Stark Expo, had ripped his shirt off and thrown himself bodily at the genius.

He didn't think it was possible for Peter to blush even more, but there you go. Damn, he really was cute.  But even Peter's adorably flustered self couldn't change the fact that it was well past 11 pm, and there was a chill wind out. And Peter was only wearing a thin jeans jacket. Tony really needed to get the precious thing home.

“You probably already figured that out, but that bit about me calling the police was a bluff. Which means there is no reason for us to keep standing around here. So, where to?”

He gestured to the sleek, red sports car that was parked, only a few feet from them, along the sidewalk. (Was the hot rod red polish a bit much? Possibly. Were the golden hubcaps a bit much? Definitely. But what could Tony say? He wasn’t a very subtle man) Peter's eyes widened dramatically, when they landed on it, and he quickly shook his head.

“Oh, no, Mr. Stark. I couldn't possibly make you drive me home after everything you have already-” But Tony nipped this in the bud right away.

One finger placed over his lips had Peter all but holding his breath. Tony looked directly into the deep, brown eyes before him, his voice just a touch lower than before.

“Let me drive you home, Peter.”

He didn't remove his finger from the soft lips until the younger man nodded his head slightly, and instantly missed touching them.

He would taste those lips soon enough.

He guided Peter, hand gentle but firm on the small of the brunettes back, to the passenger side of his car and opened the door for him. Peter tried once more to feebly protest.

“Really, Mr. Stark, you don't have to-” and was just as easily rebuffed as the first time.

“I insist. Wouldn't do to have kept you from being mugged by those guys, just to give someone else a chance on the rest of your way home now, would it?”

He narrowly kept himself from buckling Peter in, that might have been just a bit too much at this stage of their relationship acquaintance, and simply shut the door when Peter was seated. He quickly walked around the hood of the car, glancing covertly through the windshield to see as chocolate brown eyes stared in amazement at the luxurious furnishings of the car’s inside. Peter's reactions were so endearingly genuine. Then he was behind the wheel, forgoing the seat belt as he usually did, and started the engine.

“Where do you live?”

He knew, of course, but he could not allow himself to slip up again. He had gotten lucky the first time. So he waited for Peter to rattle off the address and pulled onto the street.

“So, how come you were out so late in the first place, especially in an area where people regularly get robbed?”

Again, Tony already knew this, but he wanted to get Peter talking a bit more. It would help alleviate the younger man's nervousness, and also, Tony enjoyed the sound of the youngers voice very much. He listened contentedly as Peter told him about his job as a waiter at the 8 Islands restaurant, which he had taken on to help his aunt pay the bills, while he studied at Berkeley college in New York. Skillfully asking questions about topics he knew Peter would answer passionately to, Tony relished in the conversation they were having. While most of the the things Peter 'revealed' to him, were already known by Tony, the simple act of talking with the younger man was so... so... He didn't know how to describe it. Though Peter was still a bit embarrassed and rather shy, he answered all of Tony's inquiries openly and honestly. Honesty was such a rare treat for Tony to come across. People always tried to make themselves out to be more interesting, more daring, more experienced, more smart, just overall more than they truly were. The billionaire couldn't remember the number of fake personas he had met in his life, who would tell him all the things that they thought he wanted to hear, that they believed he would find alluring, just for all of it to come crashing down at a later time.

But Peter was different.  He freely admitted that he personally didn't hold more than a passing interest in mechanical engineering, though still admired the progress that Tony had made in the field. No false praise along the lines of: 'Oh, Tony, you are the most genius man on this earth.' even though it was readily apparent that the person knew nothing about what Tony even did.  How often had Tony heard things like: 'Oh, Tony, I was so fascinated by your presentation of the latest Starkphone design.', even though the person had no idea what the terms 'Interface', 'CPU' or 'AMOLED' meant.

Peter didn't try to make himself seem perfect, or flawless. “I should have known that those chemicals wouldn't mix the way I needed them to, and I would have, had I just taken the time to research them properly. But I was just being a brat. Totally full of myself, thinking I knew better than the teacher. So, yeah, that literally exploded in my face. I definitely deserved having to clean it all up myself.”

How often did people just try to skirt around their own accountability? How often did they try to shrug off any responsibility for their own actions? How often had Tony heard the phrase: 'Well, that wasn't my fault.' and 'Well, someone else messed up.' or 'Well, I couldn't be expected to account for that.'

Peter was curious, but not invasive. He asked Tony questions about one of his current projects, but didn't even try to pry into his private life. (Though Tony would gladly allow him to) One would think this common decency, to not ask deeply personal questions of someone you had known for barely five minutes. But normal etiquette rules didn't apply to famous people. Be it reporters shoving their microphones in his face, screaming questions at him about how his break up with Virginia Potts would impact the future of Stark Industries; or the runway model that approached him in a club, asking if it was true that he was into orgies; or any random person he would come across anywhere, feigning sympathy while inquiring how his rehab was going.

Peter was a rambling fountain of scientific curiosity (and maybe he had a little oversharing problem), but he was respectful and polite and sweet.

Tony had already purposely taken three wrong turns, just to extend their time in the car together that little bit longer. But all good things had to come to an end, and soon Tony parked his car on the side of a dilapidated looking apartment building. Which meant that now it was time for part two of his plan.

“I really can't thank you enough, Mr Stark. Not anyone would have done what you did, you know? I just,... if there is any way I can make it up to you...”

Most people in Peter's situation right then, would have said this in a tone of voice that suggested a sexual favor in payment for the good deed. Would have moved their body in an alluring way, would have licked their lips seductively, would have touched his arm or thigh in a clear indication of what they had in mind.

But not Peter. Peter was genuine in his gratitude. Peter really just wanted to find a way to thank the man who helped him. No ulterior motives, no underhandedness.

And he had played right into Tony's hand. 

He killed the engine and turned to the younger man.

“Well, if you are that hellbent on thanking me, there is actually something you could do for me.”

Peter nodded eagerly. “Anything.”

And oh, what delicious, debauched, fantastical images ran through his mind at that word. Anything.

But he shook such thoughts off. It wasn't time for that yet.

“See, there is this charity event coming up, and I just know that it's going to be dreadfully boring, just as these things always are.” He rolled his eyes for effect, before fixing them on Peter again. He allowed himself to be a bit daring, and brought his hand up to cradle the side of Peter's face in it. “Being in the company of such a delightfully brilliant young man as you, would surely make it much more bearable. So, wanna be my plus one?”

Tony had no idea whether it was the sudden physical contact, or the matter of the question itself, but his gorgeous sweetheart looked completely overwhelmed.

“I... I couldn't... I... but I'm just... “

It seemed the only words Peter was capable of forming right then, and Tony decided not to give him the chance of coming up with a reasonable excuse to decline the invitation. He softly stroked his thumb along the heated skin of the others reddening cheekbone.

“Of course you can. Here, give me your phone number, I will send you all the details tomorrow.” Peter drew his phone out of his pants pocket on autopilot, and Tony snatched it up with his other hand, before the sweet thing regained enough of his faculties to register what he was doing. He quickly called himself with Peter's phone (and used the connection to install a cloning program on it, that he had prepared before hand.) “When are you free to go to a tailor? I bet you would look ravishing in a smart suit.”

Peter didn't answer, still caught between trying to find the words to convince the older man that he was not 'important-charity-event' material, and the hypnotizing sensation of having a rough, strong thumb running along his cheekbone. The sudden click of his seat belt releasing, and the slight pressure of his phone being pressed back into his hand, partly brought him back to reality.

Mr Stark smiled at him.

“Let me walk you to the door, Peter. I need to make sure you make it all the way home safely, don't I?”

And before Peter really knew how he had even gotten out of the car, he was two steps away from the door to his and aunt May's apartment complex, his phone clutched in his hand, backpack slung over his shoulder, and Mr Stark's arm once again solidly wrapped around his waist.

The man steered him the last two steps before the buildings entrance, and then leaned down to his ear.

“Open the door, Peter.”

And Peter did, fishing his keys out of the side pocket of his backpack and unlocking the door, all in quick succession, not even thinking about it. As soon as the door sprung free of its lock, Mr Stark tightened his arm around his waist, giving him a slight squeeze.

“Good boy.”

Peter blamed the shudder that ran through his body right then on the cold wind.

Then the arm around his waist carefully turned him to face the taller man, while also maneuvering him through the opened doorway and into the entrance hall.

“I will contact you tomorrow.” The arm was gone from his waist, but the hand was suddenly back on the side of his face, and the thumb was again stroking lightly over his cheek.

“Go to sleep now, Sweetheart.”

Had he really heard that? Had Tony Stark really just called him, little nobody Peter Parker, Sweetheart? But before he could think even further on this, there was the sensation of a pair of lips on his other cheek.

“Sweet dreams, Peter.”

“Y-You t-too, M-Mr S-Stark.” He somehow managed to stammer out, while bringing a hand up to the cheek that had just been kissed by the genius engineer in front of him. The same genius engineer who then smiled sweetly at him.

“Call me Tony.”

He could not do that. He could not possibly be that informal with someone of Mr Stark's stature.

“Sweet dreams... T-tony.” How the hell had he done that?

And then Tony smiled at him again, and as he leaned into the entrance way, Peter didn't know if he expected to be kissed again on the cheek, or maybe this time on the lips, or for Tony to follow him in, but what he certainly didn't expect, was for the other man to grab hold of, and then close the door. 

As the 24 year old Berkeley student stood there, staring at the closed door, unmoving for a whole 31 seconds, he couldn't decide if he was relieved, or disappointed that Tony hadn't kissed him again.

Making his way back to the car, Tony felt like whistling to himself. This had gone exceptionally well. More so, the way Peter had reacted to him had trumped all of his expectations. It had been perfect. So perfect in fact, that not even the sight of Barnes leaning against his car, arms crossed over his chest and looking absolutely unimpressed, could dampen Tony's mood right then.

He grinned at the man.

“Gotta hand it to Natasha, you really are good. Since when have you been following me?”

He wasn't even perturbed about not having spotted the man sooner. Just thinking about that shudder that had gone through Peter when he had called him a 'good boy', as well as the easy way Peter had followed his lead, killed any annoyance he might have felt otherwise right at the spot.

The bodyguard shrugged. “Since you left the tower. Without telling anyone. Again.”

Interestingly enough, Barnes didn't seem all that annoyed by that, either.

“You know there are easier ways to ask someone out, than to hire a group of thugs to stage a mugging, right?”

Tony scoffed as he climbed into his car, only a little surprised when Barnes got in on the other side.

“I didn't hire anyone. Diego and his little gang still owed me.” He turned the key in the ignition, giving the gruff looking man next to him a questioning look.

“Don't you have to get your bike or something? Or did you follow me all the way on foot?”

Again, the other man just shrugged.

“It's taken care of. Should I be preparing a security detail for Mr Parker?”

Tony was almost impressed by Barnes knowledge of Peter, but then again, he probably shouldn't be. After all, this was the man that Natasha had recommended.

“Yeah. As I have very recently discovered, this part of the city is even more unsafe than I thought. But get someone discreet. Or better yet, you do it. Natasha is scheduled to arrive back tomorrow, which should free you up some. I don't want Peter knowing that he is being watched protected. At least not yet.”

Barnes only nodded, and Tony decided he liked the man.

tbc.

I have simply added everyone who has commented on previous chapters to the tagging list. If I have forgotten anyone, or if you at any point loose interest in the story and don’t want to be tagged any more, just let me know.

@professional-fangirl75 @djspooky-jim @the-neon-demon @itfeelssogoodmrstark @haylove5 @unknownshadyperson @diamondheart31 @spadestorm696 @starkravingspiders @goldenbadass @hoe4parker @harmonystarker @kawaiiloverofanimu @httpkye 

[donnarider]

!!DISCONTINUED!! Klance - soulmate au (part 3)

Author’s notes:

Update 12th July 2019: This story is unfortunately discontinued and “ends” with part 4.

Read part 1

Read part 2

Read part 4

“Bold” texts are from Keith   |    “italic” texts are from Lance

(8:11pm): hey Lance here ;)

(8:11pm): did ur boss kill you?

(8:16pm): He was worried, first time I was late

(8:17pm): so u didnt get fired or anything?

(8:19pm): Nah, I’m the only one who knows how to reset the router

(8:19pm): I think he’s scared I’d run off again and leave him with double the rent

(8:21pm): ???

(8:23pm): I realize I should probably mention that my boss is also my brother

(8:24pm): that wouldve been nice 2 knoww :3c

(8:25pm): so u live with ur bro / boss together??

(8:28pm): Yes, it’s not that weird

(8:29pm): didnt say that ;)

(8:31pm): whats that like?

(8:36pm): sry I didnt want 2 be noisyy ;((

(8:37pm): It’s fine, he’s pretty chill

(8:37pm): You’re not being noisy

(8:38pm): ^w^

„Pidgeeee, I need a favour!” Lance ran towards his two best friends who just arrived on campus and threw his books on the ground. He rubbed his face against Pidge’s shoulder like a cat and made soft whining noises

“I’m not cutting my favorite lecture for you Lance.”

“But I have two free periods. TWO, Pidge! I’m gonna die of boredom. Do you really want to be responsible for that?” He gave them the best puppy eyes he could manage.

“Not my problem. You could always go back to sleep, it’s like 11:30. Or go read a book or something.” He gasped dramatically at the cold response from his friend and clasped his hand over his heart.

“You wound me!” He slouched his shoulders and let out a deep sigh. “Also I just finished the newest book from my favorite series. The next one doesn’t come out for two months.”

“Go study then.” Pidge’s voice was softer now. They knew that Lance really didn’t cope well with free time because it made his thoughts wander.

“Nah. Hunk is my study-buddy and you are stealing him so how am I supposed-“

“Pidge isn’t stealing me, Lance. We just have the same lecture,” Hunk interrupted him.

“… but Huuuunk-“

“I’m not cutting for you either.”

Lance groaned while Hunk patted his shoulder apologetically.

“Hmpf.”

“Dude, you know that we love you! But finals are just around the corner.” Hunk reminded him with a warm expression on his face.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it.”

They entered the university building and Pidge chugged their still half full coffee cup before tossing it over their shoulder into the nearby bin, without even having to look. They noticed that Lance was still bummed out, so they punched his arm lightly as an encouragement.

“Why don’t you go to Planet Altea? Say hi to Allura and Coran, or something.” Lance thought about it for a second before he scrunched his nose.

“I don’t want to go there alone. They already think I’m an antisocial stress eater with zero cooking skills.”

“You could go with Keith and maybe continue your talk.”

“I don’t know. Do you really think he wants to spend time with me… it’s been only a day.”

“Stop putting yourself down, of course he wants to. We’re talking soulmate here. Just text him, you big baby.” Pidge rolled their eyes and then giggled.

“Call me that again, tiny spawn of Satan.”

“Love you too, Lance,” Pidge said and smiled at him brightly before they turned around and entered the lecture hall.

“They are right, Lance. Ask him if he wants to grab lunch. You can do it.” Hunk squeezed his hand reassuringly before he followed Pidge. Lance stared after them for a while and fumbled with his hands. He finally let out a defeated sigh and took out his phone.

 (11:45am): hey keith u free rn?

He stared at his phone screen nervously and chewed his lower lip. He had started walking around campus aimlessly without noticing. Some students were giving him confused glances but he managed to ignore them.

(11:46am): Yeah, what’s up?

(11:47am): got a free period :((

(11:47am): u wanna grab lunch near campus?

(11:48am): Hold on a sec

Lance cursed silently. This was a bad idea. Surely Keith thought that he was annoying now, maybe he should have waited a few more days. Damn. His entire future ruined because he was, as always, too eager. He was about to lie down on the ground in the middle of campus when his phone vibrated in his hand saved him from his self-destructive thoughts.

(11:55am): My bike’s in the shop rn but good news my brother said I could take his

(11:56am): okay cool. Planet Altea then?

(11:56am): wait are we talking motorcycle here??

(11:57am): Okay, I can be there in 15

(11:57am): And yes we are

 Lance had to sit down on a bench next to him. So Keith wore leather jackets, had learned Spanish for him AND had a bike. He massaged the bridge of his nose and a soft ‘fuck’ escaped his lips. He was doomed, this boy was pulling him in way too fast.

 (12:00pm): damn

(12:00pm): i mean nice

(12:00pm): verry nice

 Lance handed Allura the menu back and smiled at her while she took Keith’s as well.

“Ah, wait.” The waitress turned around and came back to their table, raising her eyebrow at Lance.

“Do you take your tea like normal people do today or the way you always drink it?”

“My way, please and thank you.” He winked at her and then turned his attention back to Keith, who looked generally confused. “What exactly is your way?”

“Four and a half teaspoons sugar, one tablespoon honey and just a little bit of almond milk to top it off.”

Keith huffed in disgust and scrunched his nose. “Heathen.” Lance laughed and waved him off.

 Planet Altea was like his second home since he spend most of his time there studying and eating, especially during finals. He was on a first name base with Allura and the strange but friendly cook Coran. They never judged him when he dragged his tired body in and ate quietly in his favorite corner, not even saying hello sometimes. They got it. One time he actually fell asleep over his half eaten pizza and when he woke up they had put a blanket on him. He loved the small restaurant and its space design.

The ceiling was painted with galaxies in various different colors and football sized planets were dangling from it. Lance was forever thankful to Coran and Allura that they had made an actual effort and arranged the planets in the correct order. In the corner next to the counter stood a creepy old astronaut statue that Lance had lovingly named Blumfump while pulling an especially bad all-nighter.

  “So…” Keith started. “What is your subject at college?” Lance squirmed in his seat.

“At the risk of coming across as a giant nerd…Astronomy.”

“Really?” Keith quirked his eyebrows in surprise. Lance fumbled with the tablecloth.

“Yeah, I know it’s-“

“That’s cool!” Keith interrupted him and gave him a small smile.            

“I uhhh… you think so?” Lance stammered, too distracted by how pretty Keith looked when he smiled.

“Yeah, I’ve always loved that kind of stuff. What do you wanna do with it when you’re done?”

“Ummm. It’s a bit of a cliché but I always wanted to work for NASA. I know it’s really hard to get in but I’m still gonna try.”

Keith nodded. “I mean … if you really really want it and you work hard for it, I don’t see why it shouldn’t work out.” He smiled sheepishly at Lance.

“Yeah, I guess…” Lance smiled back. “So, umm. What about you? What exactly is it you do?”

“I work at a workshop and we specialize in bikes. It’s Shiro’s but we basically run the thing together.”

“Shiro’s your brother, right?”

“Yes. Well, it’s sort of a long story I guess.”

Lance tilted his head questioningly. “Huh?”

“Shiro isn’t my biological brother. He kind of … took me in?” Keith tugged at his gloves nervously.  “I wasn’t … it was like … things were-“

“You don’t have to finish that story, you can tell me another time.”

Lance smiled at him warmly. He reached out for Keith’s hands over the table and tried to stop him from fidgeting. Keith stared at their joined hands and blushed lightly. In that moment Allura walked over to serve them their drinks. When Lance noticed he quickly moved his hands away but couldn’t keep the blush from creeping onto his cheeks as well.

“Don’t let him trick you into trying this stuff, it’s nasty.” The waitress remarked and put down Lance’s tea in front of him.

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” Keith shook his head in disgust.

  “So I don’t want to intrude but umm…back when we were sixteen, that umm…”

Keith nodded. “Yah. My parents. It was a car crash.”

“I’m sorry.”

Keith usually hated when people said that. Not that it would change anything. They just say it because it’s expected of them. They had no idea what it felt like, what they were even pretending to be sorry for. It was different with Lance though. If anyone understood it was him. It was him who had shared Keith’s pain on the day of the funeral and so many days after that. It was him who had comforted him at night.

“It’s okay. I mean…of course it’s not great but I’m doing better.”

Lance smiled at him. “I can tell.”

Keith just smiled back.

  “What about you? There were so many birthday and wedding songs, you must have a big family.”

“Oh god, you have no idea. I’ve got a younger sister, two older sisters and an older brother. My brother is married and has three children so I also have two nephews and a niece. And don’t even get me started on the cousins. We would be sitting here for a week.”

“Sounds nice… and stressful?”

Lance smiled excitedly. “It is. I mean the house is always full and it’s always loud. I was so glad when I left for college because I finally had some peace and quiet and didn’t have to watch any of the little ones. But to be honest… I miss it so much.”

“You don’t get to see them often?” Keith tilted his head to the side and watched Lance closely.

“Once or twice a year. But we skype a lot. My youngest nephew is starting to walk and it’s honestly so adorable.” Keith couldn’t help but smile warmly. He could imagine Lance playing with his nephews and nieces perfectly. He was definitely the kind of guy who was good with children and who loved them as much as they loved him.

 Allura returned to their table with their food. Lance suspected that she had waited until now because she had noticed that they were deep in conversation. She smiled at Lance and winked before she left the table.

Lance wished she hadn’t because he could feel warmth creep up his cheeks and wondered what shade of red exactly his face had turned. Allura obviously thought they were on a date. Well they sort of were, weren’t they? Lance knit his brow. What exactly was it they were having here? A meetup as friends or an actual date? Did Keith think it was a date? Oh god, what if he didn’t but he thought that Lance did? This wasn’t good. His thoughts were not going in a safe direction.

That’s when Allura turned on the music.

It was some kind of sappy romance song. Keith looked at him for a second before looking over to Allura who was very obviously smiling in his and Lance’s direction. To make things even more awkward she tried to give Lance a subtle thumbs up that Keith obviously saw. Lance wanted to die. His brain was on auto-pilot and when Keith looked at him again he just smiled at him awkwardly out of reflex. Keith returned the smile before looking to the side, obviously being uncomfortable.

That’s when Lance felt it. Fear. Followed by a sort of numbness and then a strong feeling of isolation. He felt like there were too many emotions boiling inside of him at once. Lance knew that none of these were his own emotions but it was confusing him greatly. It all happened in seconds but it was so intense that it gave Lance goosebumps.

He couldn’t understand what just happened. What had scared Keith so much? What had made him feel like running again? Because judging by the way he was eyeing the exit right now, Lance was pretty sure that that was all he was thinking about now.

He gestured for Allura to turn of the music immediately and she did after giving him a surprised look. Lance paused for a second. The song… A damn love song. Maybe this was going too fast for Keith’s liking. Or maybe… he wasn’t even interested in Lance in that way…

Lance swallowed hard. “Umm, listen…”

Keith turned his head and looked at him again. Lance couldn’t read anything on his face, he had closed himself off completely.

“I know there’s a lot of expectations and pressure and stuff with the whole soulmate thing-” It was almost not noticeable but by the way his jaw tensed, Lance was sure that Keith was clenching his teeth, “but that doesn’t have to mean anything, okay?”

This earned him a questioning look. “I mean… take my friend Pidge. They have this soulmate called Rover who’s really cool and all…but they’re both not really interested in dates and stuff… sooo, they’re just friends. I mean sure being soulmates equals having some sort of deep emotional bond but so does friendship, right? So, just… don’t sweat it okay? We… could just be friends too… No pressure.”

 Keith searched his face for a moment before his jaw relaxed and he gave a small smile.

“Okay, yeah. Friends sounds good to me.”

Lance sighed relieved and returned the smile. “Okay, great. So friends it is?”

 “For now.”

More author’s notes:

This fic on AO3

Please don’t hate me for how this chapter ends, there’s still a long way to go and to anyone freaking out rn... I only ever write sappy, romantic happy ends, so don’t worry!

Again a BIG SHOUT-OUT TO @alteanmoonchild (formerly beekeeper-cas) my awesome beta and friend who helped me SOO MUCH with this chapter and makes writing so much more fun <3 She sat down with me FOR HOURS and the chapter is so much better now ♥♥♥

Thank you all so much for reading, your likes and reblogs and your wonderful comments. Your feedback makes me incredibly happy ^-^

If you have any questions, feedback or just want to say hi send me an ask

If you want to know why I took so long to update or want to read about some fun things that happend while writing this check out this post

If someone drew fanart for this fic I would be the happiest human on earth! Seriously! I don’t care if it’s stick-figures, I will love you! If you do, please tag me and/or send me a link ♥

If you want me to tag you in the next part when I post it, just send me an ask saying so and I’ll add you to the taglist.

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[greggsdiabetes-blog]

The Secret to Happiness? Simplify.

New Post has been published on http://www.greggsdiabetes.com/the-secret-to-happiness-simplify/

The Secret to Happiness? Simplify.

For centuries, people leaned into the popular (and false) belief that possession—material wealth and stature—was synonymous with happiness. But now minimalism is on the rise, and for good reason: it works. With the popular Netflix film Minimalism: A Documentary About Important Things and the massive bestselling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up emphasizing the benefits of decluttering, it's no surprise that more and more people are cleaning out gear closets, streamlining their workouts, and buying less stuff. Because when you do, there's way more room for adventure.

#1. Purge

The first piece of furniture I ever bought kept me up at night. I was 25 years old, and the offending item was a 60-pound oak armoire the color of whiskey and the size of a standard refrigerator. It wasn’t the price or the quality of its construction that triggered the angst. It was what it represented. I now owned something that couldn’t fit in my rooftop RocketBox. I saw my adult life beginning, along with a relentless accumulation of more stuff. That armoire was the loss of my freedom.

Looking around my house nearly 20 years later, my vision was prescient. I’ve col­lected more things than I want, and finding a place to put them all is a daily struggle. My twenty­something anxiety wasn’t un­founded, ­either. Research has revealed a troubling paradox: not only is clutter a cause of stress, but so is getting rid of things. For some people, the very act of shedding a possession triggers activity in the anterior cingulate cortex and the ­insula, the same parts of the brain that register physical pain. Which explains why millions of Americans, including me, have plunked down $10 for yet another possession: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, a bestseller by Japanese cleaning consultant ­Marie Kondo. According to Kondo, dealing with your clutter can improve your well-being. “A dramatic reorganization of the home causes correspondingly dra­matic changes in lifestyle and perspective,” she writes. “It is life transforming.”

I bought my copy thinking it would be a needed catalyst for the garage-cleaning project I’d been putting off for two years. Inside is my gear stash, proof of a lifetime of adventure and the only possessions I’d truly mourn in a house fire. Crampons that have felt summits from the Cascades to the Hima­layas. My first road bike. The BOB stroller that logged hundreds of miles as I trained for ultras and jogged my two small children to sleep. A lot of this stuff hasn’t been used in years, rendered obsolete by shinier new toys or my shifting passions. It was piling up. The issue came to a head when my fiancée moved in, along with her own stockpile. But any hopes that I would realize Kondo’s magic by confronting the mountains of sentiment in the garage were extinguished within the first few pages of her book. In rigid terms, she describes a “tidying marathon,” an all in, months-long project that will fail if not completed. If I didn’t address my entire household inventory—­closets, drawers, cabinets, everything—I would return to a state of unwanted clutter.

The garage would have to wait. I started by moving through Kondo’s list of categories in the prescribed order: “Clothes first, then books, papers, miscellany, and lastly, mementos.” The process forced me to confront those myriad places that attract random junk. The kitchen counter always littered with mail and school announcements. Bathroom cabinets stocked with bottles and tinctures. And that damn armoire, in which I discovered an incongruous collection of candleholders, board games, place mats, two puzzles, an extension cord, a New Mexico atlas, and an ancient video camera that records on something called MiniDisc. I took on these hoarding stations armed with a garbage bag (trash it) and a box (give it away). I purged like I was at a peyote ceremony. Over several days, I made four trips to Goodwill, where the staff began to recognize me.

Clothes, books, paper—those were easy. My garage came last, for it was filled with the high-end sporting gear that we adventurous types classify as mementos. It was here that my trust in Kondo’s method was tested. Her advice for deciding on whether or not to keep something: touch it, be aware of the feeling it triggers, and ask yourself, “Does it spark joy?” When I thought of my prized quiver of skis, bikes, and camping stoves (six of them!), I pictured Kondo asking the question and me defiantly answering “Hell yes!” to all of it.

One Sunday morning, I clicked the ­garage-door opener and confronted nostalgia’s grip. I started with the camping equipment. After careful consideration, stoves one, two, and three registered no spark. Neither did way too many headlamps, stuff sacks, first-aid kits, and ground pads. My first real trial was the sleeping bag I took on multiple cross-country family road trips as a kid. It was in that bag that I slept soundly in the back of our station wagon as my parents drove all night from the north rim to the south rim of the Grand Canyon to catch the sunrise. Running my hands over its greasy seams, I felt a powerful sentimental joy. I also realized that the memories it evoked were inside my head, not its weathered nylon. I put it in the giveaway box. There were three pairs of cross-country skis, each having carried me through the 40-mile Elk Mountain Grand Traverse. I’ve always liked seeing them propped against the wall, proof of my feats. But joy? It wasn’t sparked. I tried to draw the line at my first pair of telemark skis. No matter that they’re comically skinny, I thought, these babies rip. But now I was on a roll. I threw them in with the sleeping bag.

I went on like this for several more weekends, pawing flat soccer balls, tired camp chairs, and outdated bike wheels. Eventually, I whittled down my treasures to my absolute favorites and began reorganizing the space according to Kondo’s strict instructions—no piles. Finally, one recent evening, preparing for my first skin up the local ski hill, I felt a little bit of the magic. The real evil of clutter, the one I’d feared at age 25, was its ability to bog you down. Do I want to go backcountry skiing at 6 a.m. when the process requires an hour of rounding up misplaced necessities? Nope. I’ll just sleep in. But that night I ­entered the newly overhauled space, and all the items I needed—poles, skins, helmet, gloves, skis—were in exactly the right place.

I’d be lying if I said my life has been transformed. I haven’t touched my office yet. And I’ve actually noticed an increase in angst over the places that I’ve yet to tackle. But if tidying is indeed a marathon, I have faith in Kondo’s metaphor. I know how shedding weight and completing a long-distance ­trial brings on a curious euphoria. Kondo estimates that her tidying marathons take clients around six months, and I will keep running. But she’ll have to pry my BOB stroller from my cold, dead hands. —Christopher Keyes, editor

#2. Put Down the Phone

"You don't need to tweet or post during your adventure unless you're a sponsored athlete whose livelihood depends on it. I promise you that no one really cares. I've grown to love it when an expedition starts and the bars on my my phone dwindle down to uselessness. That's a sure sign that I'm headed in the right direction." —Guide Dave Hahn, who has summited Mount Everest 15 times

#3. Make It a Liquid Lunch

“Soup is a nutrition life-hack,” says ­Nicole Centeno, author of the cookbook Splendid Spoon and CEO of the soup-­delivery company of the same name. “It’s efficient and nourishing and keeps you fueled for hours outside without weighing you down.” It’s also a foolproof one-pot wonder. Buy a stack of plastic pint containers for single-serving storage in the fridge or freezer, and reheat for lunch as needed. Centeno’s favorite hearty soup, kale and lentil, is ­loaded with fiber and protein and made with ingredients you likely already have at home.

Kale and Lentil Soup (Serves 4)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 large carrots, diced

1 rib celery, diced

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon Madras curry powder

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 pound dried red lentils, rinsed and drained

1/2 pound dried green lentils, rinsed and drained

2 quarts water

2 cups thinly sliced lacinato kale

Sea salt to taste

Process

Warm the oil in a pot over medium heat. Cook the onion, carrots, and celery, stirring frequently, for ten minutes or until tender. Stir in the garlic, pepper, curry, and cinnamon, and cook for one minute.

Increase the heat to high, add the lentils and water, and bring to a boil. Add the kale, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes or until the mixture thickens, the lentils are tender, and the kale is wilted.

Stir in the salt. Serve hot.

#4. Lighten Up

"I value celebration, possibly more than I should. You have to relish your accomplishments and take time off. I also have a terrible sweet tooth, and I don't care. I will continue to eat Sour Patch Kids. I usually have three two-pound bags in my room. There's a fine line between being anal retentive and being purposeful. Everything I do, I do with purpose." —Ultrarunner Clare Gallagher, who won the 2016 Leadville Trail 100 Women's Division by two hours.

#5. Choose a Uniform

Steve Jobs wore a black turtleneck and jeans every day. Mark Zuckerberg lives in a hoodie. Yes, they’re tech geeks—but not having to think about clothing frees up all kinds of mental energy for more important tasks. So what’s a style-conscious active person supposed to wear? Consider this foundational formula from Peter Buchanan-Smith, founder of Manhattan clothing and gear company Best Made.

Chambray shirt:"Chambray is far more versatile than flannel—it can be worn with jeans or trousers. The material is timeless. Once you find the perfect shirt, buy five."

Sweater jacket:"Best Made's shawl-collar sweater, with super-heavy, 100 percent western wool, is my armor. I wear it fly-fishing, as a winter jacket in the city, and under a rain shell.”

Aviator sunglasses:“Randolph Engineering’s are classic. You can’t go wrong.”

High-quality belt: “I wear Best Made’s Gfeller belt almost daily.”

Dark-wash jeans: “Levi’s 501’s. You get so much for the price, and they only get better with age. ”

Good socks: “Wool blend. Not too thick, not too thin.”

Rugged boots: "I don’t think it’s overkill to have burly leather ankle boots as your daily staple, even in New York. I’d pick the Danner Rainforest. They’re like the Land Rover Defender of boots.”

#6. Skimp on Gym Time

One of the pillars of the modern approach to fitness is the belief that gym-based strength training is essential, even for endurance athletes. Problem is, many of us take things too far. Two-time Olympic skier turned strength coach Eva Twardokens is part of a growing chorus of fitness professionals who ­argue that amateur athletes don’t need to spend more than two hours a week working out between walls. The upshot: you can spend a lot more time playing outside. “The danger for a lot of people is over­exercising,” says Twardokens.

She closely analyzed just how much gym work she needed to continue to perform at a high level. “I boiled it down to the essentials and created Minimum Dose, Maximum Effect,” she says. “The idea is to do the least amount of training that allows for good body composition and supports the activities in your life without wearing your joints down.” Twardokens, a ­National Masters Weightlifting champion, explains that her general workout philosophy is to “maintain strength and muscle mass through the basics, like squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, and dips. And that includes you endurance athletes!”

The rest of the time? Get outside and enjoy the sports you love.

#7. Bring It Back to Life

In 2011, Patagonia launched its Worn Wear program, which allows customers to send in jackets and apparel to be mended. The company has since performed 170,000 repairs. Here’s a quick guide to fixing your own stuff—and taking better care of it in the first place.

Keep it clean: Before storing technical layers at the end of the season, launder them in cold water with a revitalizing cleaner like Nikwax Tech Wash and hang them to dry, says Lindsey Stone of Seattle’s Rainy Pass Repair, which fixes, updates, and renews all manner of outdoor fabrics. “Once something like Gore-Tex is dry to touch, treat it with a DWR spray to revive waterproofing,” she adds. “Then stick it in the dryer on low for 10 to 20 minutes.”

Avoid the common errors: “Wool is much more difficult to burn than synthetic fabrics, so consider a top layer of wool while you’re tending the campfire,” Stone says.

Upgrade your field kit: “Tenacious Tape is just as strong as duct tape, but it doesn’t leave a sticky residue,” Stone says, “so later you can properly fix a tear without a mess.”

Save your sole: Don’t toss out those worn-down hiking boots if the upper structure is still in good shape. Legendary boot wizard Dave Page in Seattle can resole just about anything. He has repaired a pair of 1960s boots six times. Their owner is now in his eighties.

#8. Go It Alone

"I always say, if I had to wait for a friend, I'd still be in my cubicle office. It's easier to travel alone and has become a lot more socially acceptable." —Matt Kepnes, author of the blog Nomadic Matt

#9. Just Say No

"Most people overestimate how efficient they are, so we say yes to everything that comes our way. The result is you end up feeling overwhelmed. Saying no makes space for the things that matter most to you. Saying no more often is actually more expansive." —Leo Babauta, author of The Power of Less

10. Buy Less, Live More

There’s a joke that we tell around the office: How can you spot an Outside editor at the trailhead? They’re the one removing tags from their stuff.

It hurts because it’s true. Some editors’ offices are so packed with gear that it’s tough to find a place to sit. I’m no exception. When I decided to take up mountain biking a couple of years ago, I bought two bikes: one hardtail and one full suspension, so I had the right ride for any situation. I currently own six fly rods—one for throwing dry flies on small streams, another for casting streamers on big rivers, yet another for windy days, and so on.

But when I read a recent story about Pata­gonia founder Yvon Chouinard that noted how most of his gear was made in the previous century, I began to question my excessive ways. I suffer that disease so common among middle-class Americans: overconsumption. And I’m not joking when I call it a disease. We’ve long known that buying things releases dopamine in the brain—a 2012 study in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs suggested it’s even addictive. Partly to blame: the ease of the buy-now button.

It’s not just a biological pull, either. Magazines, catalogs, and websites—Outside’s included—assault your inbox, mailbox, and Facebook feed with new gear. I decided to fight back: for one month I would buy nothing but food. (OK, and beer.)

The first week, I felt like an alcoholic standing outside a liquor-store window. I had a strong urge to cheat, to buy something small like a book or a movie ticket. But midway through the month, the compulsive urge to consume relaxed. At home I realized that not only did I have a jacket that would get me through ski season, I actually had two, even if they didn’t breathe quite as well as I’d like. I began to look at things I previously considered at the end of their useful life—jeans with holes, a laptop that was a few years old—as perfectly functional.

I spent less time scrolling through gear blogs fantasizing about smartwatches or fishing reels, which meant that I had more time for things that really mattered: my wife, my friends, my colleagues—people, not things.

Late in the month, though, I caved. My wife and I recently bought a home, and we wanted to replace the old smoke detectors. “I’m not buying everything for the house this month,” my wife said, with a certain tone in her voice, suspecting that my pledge to swear off consumerism was a ploy to bankrupt her. I immediately went online and ordered two of them. Later that day I got her flowers, just to be safe.

The truth is, not buying stuff doesn’t feel as instantly good as hitting the buy-now button does, and I can’t say that I won’t purchase superfluous stuff in the future. But I realize that I don’t need it. In fact my life may be richer by not having as much of it. A few weeks after my experiment ended, I reached out to Trout Unlimited to see if it needed any packs or rods for its youth programs. I rounded up my extra winter hats, coats, and gloves to give to a local shelter. After years of being sick, I’m starting to feel better. —Jonah Ogles, articles editor

#11. Don’t Get All Epic

I’ve got a bit of Viking in me. Not the raiding and pillaging so much as the deep-seated urge to explore distant lands. For years my M.O. was: save up money, blow it on a far-flung adventure, return broke, repeat. It was fun, but I’ve since wised up. While I still try to pull off big trips whenever I can, I’ve learned that closer-to-home outings can be just as satisfying.

I grew up in southeast Wisconsin and couldn’t wait to set out for the mountains and rivers of the West, eventu­ally landing in New Mexico. But when I go back to Wisconsin now, I’m discovering everything I overlooked. ­Within 20 miles of my childhood home in Sheboygan, there are sand dunes to explore, waterways to paddle, waves to surf (seriously, Google it), and glacially carved trails to wander.

Having kids has helped shift my perspective, too. In Santa Fe, a lifetime of family microadventures can be had right out the back door. This past fall, we spent a weekend rafting a section of the Rio Grande near town. It might not have been heroic by Instagram standards, but there were rapids, rattlesnakes, hot springs, and pictographs. The kids didn’t have to miss any school, and I swear I felt my inner Viking stir. —Sam Moulton, content marketing director

#12. Use Paper

“I’ve tried all the organizational apps, but I much prefer putting pen to paper,” says legendary alpinist Conrad Anker, known among fellow climbers for both his skill and his preparation. “I like using Moleskine notebooks, the lined five-by-eight ones. Every night I use a nice fountain pen to jot down my to-do list for the following day. Then I prioritize it, rewrite it to reflect that ­order, and think about it. On Sunday I do the same routine, but for the whole week ahead.” ­

Anker says that bulletproof organizational skills may be in his blood. “My sister is a professional organizer, with clients, so we joke that creating structure and having discipline runs in our family. I find myself flipping back though my journals and rereading them. Research shows that writing things down helps you process and remember them better, and I agree. I’ve been doing this since 1998.”

Original Article